Hey guys, my name is Josey and I’m an avid comic book reader and Wonder Woman fanatic.

My love for Wonder Woman began with DC’s New 52 Wonder Woman story told by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. I was always aware of the character Wonder Woman but reading the comics opened my eyes to her world filled with fantastical elements of Greek mythology with underlying moral and ethical conflicts. To me, she represented compassion, love, strength, and courage. Wonder Woman is confident and anyone who tests her will quickly find out they were wrong to do so.

That being said, the new Wonder Woman movie is a force to be reckoned with. It is everything I hoped it would be and so much more.

(Minor spoilers are ahead. You’ve been warned).

I was cautiously optimistic, when the Wonder Woman movie was announced and Gal Gadot was cast. I have a huge love and respect for the character and I really wanted the movie to be a success. My excitement grew the sooner it came time to see the movie and I left the theater in complete bliss. Gal Gadot, simply put, IS Wonder Woman. She owns every second and commands the screen. Gadot embodies all the personality, power, and emotional & physical strength that you would expect from a Wonder Woman film. She is so self-assured, as both Diana and Wonder Woman, her performance is indisputable.

There are so many elements I loved about the film, it’s hard to pick just a few, but I’ll do my best. So here it goes.
Within the first 20 minutes of this movie you get to see the Amazons show off their skills and throw down against German forces on the beaches of Themyscira. Antiope, general of the Amazons and Hippolyta’s sister, is lethal and fearless. The battle scene is packed with badass stunts on foot and horseback. When I saw the Amazons charging the beach I couldn’t help but get pumped and root for them.

 
Gal Gadot and Chris Pine share an undeniable chemistry. Throughout the movie, Diana and Steve Trevor share intimate, funny, and charming moments but the one that stands out to me occurs in the first 30 minutes of the movie during a bath/ underground grotto scene. Diana decides to help Steve leave Themyscira in exchange for him helping her find Ares, the god of War. Steve is completely nude when Diana approaches him and catches him off guard. Their exchange is filled the theater with laughter and made you feel the perfect amount of awkwardness.
One of my favorite moments was when Steve Trevor is walking with Diana through the train station and a gentlemen offers her some ice cream. Her reaction to a foreign and tasty treat is priceless and this moment is taken directly from the comics. Even animated movies have incorporated it into their stories somehow.

If I had to pick one scene in this entire film that I feel best defines the tone of this movie, it would be No Man’s Land. Leading up to it, Steve tries to convince Diana to continue on through the trenches so they can make their way to Ares. However, Diana sees the death and destruction the war has caused and is determined to cross No Man’s Land to help the nearby village. This is the first time Wonder Woman’s suit is revealed to the audience. Her skills as an Amazonian warrior and as a goddess are manifested. The music that drives this sequence combined with Wonder Woman’s heroism is purely up-lifting.

 
There’s very little about this film that I didn’t like so I’ll name the one thing that stuck out to me the most. When it came time to finally reveal Ares, I wasn’t 100% sold on his presence. His armor was fantastic and pretty much taken straight from the comics but there’s something about him that didn’t seem intimidating. I felt something was missing when he transforms from his disguise to his true self. But that’s really my only bone to pick.

Before I wrap this up, I need to quickly mention the supporting cast. Not only were they well cast but their performances for their characters were spot on. It helped make the movie that much more believable and fun.
If you’re even slightly interested in seeing the Wonder Woman movie, I highly recommend you take the plunge. Wonder Woman, at its core, is a fantastic telling of a super hero origin story that’s respectful to the character and the source material. Wonder Woman is almost constantly in the spotlight and I still couldn’t get enough of her. Bravo to Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, the rest of the cast and crew that brought this film to life. Wonder Woman is eloquently executed, empowering, and incredibly moving.

MUST-SEE!

-Josey Porter